1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to replaceable filters for use on cooking range hoods, and in particular, to such filters that cover both an inlet opening on the range hood and a light on the range hood adjacent the inlet opening.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Ventilating cooking range hoods are well-known to have replaceable filters through which air is drawn to remove, for example, particulates or grease from the air. Many range hoods also have lights attached to the underside thereof adjacent the ventilation inlet opening. To prevent grease or dust from accumulating on the light, range hood manufacturers often provide filter assemblies with a transparent or translucent pane of glass or plastic to cover the light, with said pane being placed within the filter assembly frame that also holds the filter element itself.
Heretofore, such filter assemblies with panes were manufactured to the exact size required for a specific range hood. A supplier of such filters necessarily must stock the multitude of various sizes required, as each filter assembly has its own specialized dimensions for its frame as well as the proportion of the frame occupied by the filter element versus the pane that covers the light. Most suppliers find such a large inventory to be prohibitive, and therefore any replacement filters must then be specially ordered or manufactured when desired.
These specifically manufactured replacement filters with light panes, like the original filters they replace, typically have an extruded aluminum frame, continuous about the circumference of the frame, with notched and bent corners formed therein.
It is therefore desirable to have a single filter kit that is trimmable by the installer to replace the multitude of various specialized filters, each with its own unique dimensions. Not only must the frame and filter elements be trimmable, but also the light pane, which also must match the size of that which it replaces.
Prior filters are known that have telescoping frames, in which opposite sides of the frame telescope to the desired size and into which a trimmable filter element is placed after having been trimmed to the desired size. While such a telescoping-frame filter solves the problem of diverse inventory required for those filters without light panes, it does not address the similar problem existing for filters that must have a specifically dimensioned pane covering the range hood light.
The assignee of the present invention has also marketed, for over one year, a trimmable filter having trimmable frame elements joined by clips at the corners, like the present invention, but with only a trimmable filter element suspended therein. Like the known filters with telescoping frames, such a trimmable filter does not address the problem solved by the present invention of providing a tailorable light pane for a range hood light.
A preliminary patentability search in Class 55, subclass 385.1, Digest 31 and Digest 36, produced the following patents, some of which may be relevant to the present invention: Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,969, issued May 9, 1972; and Matherne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,650, issued June 20, 1989.
Additionally, Pick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,218, issued Oct. 22, 1991, describes, at columns 4 and 5 and FIGS. 3A-3C, corner connectors for joining extruded frame members at the corners.
While each of the above patents disclose various hinging apparatus or interlocking hanging systems, none disclose or suggest the present invention. More specifically, none of the above patents disclose or suggest a trimmable range hood filter for covering both an inlet opening of a range hood and a light on said range hood adjacent said inlet opening, said range hood filter comprising: a rectangular filter element selectively trimmed to have compatible dimensions with said inlet opening, said filter element having, in clockwise sequence, a first, a second, a third, and a fourth side; a first, a second, a third, and a fourth non-telescoping frame member sequentially arranged to form a rectangle, wherein each said frame member constitutes a different side of said rectangle, said first and said third frame members being of substantially the same length and being parallel to one another, and said second and said fourth frame members being of substantially the same length and being parallel to one another and perpendicular to said first and said third frame members, each said frame member having a longitudinal channel facing inwardly into said rectangle, with said first, second, and third sides of said filter element respectively being inserted into the longitudinal channels of said first, second, and third frame members but not that of said fourth frame member; four attachment means, one at each corner of said rectangle, for fixedly joining adjacent frame members to form said each corner; a selectively trimmed plastic pane capable of passing illumination from said light therethrough, said pane having, in clockwise sequence, a first, a second, a third, and a fourth side, with said first, third, and fourth sides of said pane respectively being inserted into the longitudinal channels of said first, third, and fourth frame members but not that of said second frame member; and, means for sealingly joining said fourth side of said filter element to said second side of said pane.
Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,969, describes a latch for attaching a filter and separate light lens to a range hood. Unlike the present invention, the Fox filter and lens are not tailorable and are not both within the same frame.
Matherne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,650, describes a filter element that fits within a single channel on a ceiling fan attachment frame.